DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Baden-Württemberg
Regierungsbezirk: Freiburg
Landkreis: Ortenaukreis

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Zell am Harmersbach is situated at an elevation of 223 m on the stream Harmersbach between the Black Forest and the Rhine.

Zell was founded by the Imperial abbey of Gengenbach. Records date back to 1139. Having belonged to the masters of Geroldseck and the Diocese of Strasbourg, in 1334 Zell became part of the margraviate of Baden. Subsequently it fell to the house of Zähringen and, after that line's extinction, the city fell to Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich II. Under the German king Rudolf I, the city gained Reichsunmittelbarkeit, becoming the smallest Free Imperial City in the Empire. Despite repeated attempts at annexation by the Austria, which possessed large parts of the Ortenau region, the city retained its independence until the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, when it was given to Baden.